I thought this was well-written but I just couldn't connect with it. Probably will connect with the right readers.

I am catching up on books because of an illness so am going off of what I remember and a few notes I made at the time. My apologies for the brevity.

Interesting and entertaining story that goes between two fascinating characters in an intense and complex story. Like the different aspects of each character and the time they live in. Hard to put down. Good read.

Two women eighty years apart with similar circumstances and a special connection. The story was gripping and beautifully written with a little supernatural aspect. I did have questions that were not answered but perhaps that is best left to the imagination.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really loved this book! Sarah Painter switches between Grace, a nursing student from long ago, and Mina, a present-day radiation physicist with a Very Bad Boyfriend. As their stories progress, we learn more about Grace's life and Mina learns more about her own. A charming supernatural element enters that, although it makes Mina wonder about her own sanity, also saves her in the nick of time.

We learn that people can change although it sometimes takes a hard bump on the noggin to effect it. Mina learns that some people she might have written off before become precious to her in ways she could not have anticipated.

The author, Sarah Painter, is new to me but has written several books and I look forward to reading them all.

Two women living in the different timelines are connected by the signals pointing to danger. Can they find their voice?

This novel has started as richly layered human drama, but unfortunately it has ended like a feminist coming-of-age manifesto of sorts. I have eagerly read the first chapters full of complicated characters (why the girls are seeing the signs? What has happened to Mina´s brother? etc.), but the most interesting questions simply went unanswered. Instead of the answers we got the just punishments for the wrong men and the happy ending for those of men who look not catchy at the first look, but are respectful and sensitive - and while there is nothing wrong with that (good men should prevail), they also look just like well-programmed props without any character growth.
Having said all that, the first half of the book is interesting and I have enjoyed it much.

I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to predict how the parts of the story would come together and resolve, and I was engaged and interested all the way through.

I admit it.  I requested this one based purely off the stunning cover.  I have no shame, but do I have regret?  Maybe a little.  Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this book for superficial reasons, it did not come through for me...

I contemplated DNFing this book a few different times, but since I was given a copy for review, I felt I needed to press on.  While I think the writing was decent and the concepts within this book had potential, the execution of the story was a bit of a mess.

What didn’t work for me…

The two separate storylines did not particularly work well together, making this book feel disjointed.  Why did they not work together?  There was no connection between the two storylines except an insignificant one… the fact that both stories take place years apart in the same hospital.  The end.  I kept waiting for the big reveal of how Mina and Grace would be connected, but the end of the book came without any type of link between them.  What was the reasoning behind the dual storylines if there was no significant connection between the characters?  Did I miss something?

I strongly disliked the main character in the present timeline, Mina.  She did get slightly better as the book progressed, but only slightly.  My aversion to her in the beginning actually made it really hard for me to want to pick this book up.  I know that authors will often write characters who are more self absorbed or egocentric characters in the beginning to then develop that character to show a tremendous amount of personal growth, but that doesn’t really happen here.  Mina sort of realizes she was a horrible person pre-accident, but aside from befriending a coworker the had previously ignored, Mina didn’t go through any real personal development.   Was the author was attempting to write an “unreliable narrator” here?  I didn’t get that vibe…  Whatever the case, Mina didn’t really have any redeemable qualities.

Despite the unlikeable main character in the story taking place in the present, I preferred this story to the one taking place in the past.  Actually, I think Mina’s story would have worked quite well as a thriller in and of itself without Grace’s story…. This was probably my favorite aspect to this book, the “thriller elements” occurring in Mina’s story.  I really liked how the reader knows the big mystery surrounding Mina’s accident in the beginning while watching Mina try and sort things out.  It really added to the tension as I often felt compelled to warn Mina.

Grace, the main character in the past timeline, is a more likeable character than Mina, however she wasn’t exactly developed which made her feel flat.  Grace’s story overall felt a little busy and underdeveloped.  It felt like one bad thing after the other.  I think this is mainly due to the fact that Mina’s story takes up a good chunk of the book, so there was not enough attention given to Grace’s plotline.

Another aspect that didn’t work for me in this one was the paranormal/supernatural elements.   Could they have worked? Yes, BUT there was no point to them… they didn’t really enhance the story in any way.  The randomness of these elements made the story feel a bit odd to me.  I am all for some magic realism, but it has to be well done and make sense within the story. 

To sum up what didn’t work for me:
• no distinct connection between the two storylines/characters
• paranormal/supernatural elements felt odd and didn’t work well within the context of the story
• Mina was hard to connect with and didn’t have any redeeming qualities
• Needed more development in Grace’s storyline

*Big thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable and like the writing. I have order her other books and feel confident this is a writer I will not hesitate to pick up in the future. The book was a pleasant read.

I couldn't really get into this one. Had to put it down!

I read this back in January which was not a great reading month for me. This is a novel set in two different times and I was more interested in the more historical of the two. I was more at ease with Grace and her story. It was a bit frustrating to be yanked out of her story to listen to Mina. I found Mina unlikable and even though I got the reveal near the end, I was not a fan. I also expected more of a mystery to be honest. I think if I knew this was more a slow literary fiction with historical elements I would have been less disappointed. Whilst there are similarities in both characters, I wish it could have related more to Mina.

This is not a clean novel. It is suited for those who want to read a book about women and the difficulties they can face at work and with family life.

I wish that the stories has been better tied together, but they were both interesting.